According to EVault, FlexPod customers that use its new cloud service can get up to 49 percent savings over traditional on-premises data protection products. NetApp didn't provide data as to which competitors it was comparing to, but it's a rare thing that cloud services don't come out on top of on-premises capital expenditures.

"Customers can expect additional cost savings when using EVault Storage Cloud for NetApp. For example, offsite storage costs for tape on what we call the 'diesel network' may be eliminated along with aging tape hardware and associated maintenance costs. The removal of the tape hardware maintenance costs alone may very well pay for the service, especially as it can skyrocket for customers in years three and four, further eating away at IT's budget," said David Chapa, chief technology evangelist for the office of the CTO at EVault, in a prepared statement.

Chapa called it a hybrid cloud solution that is not only meant to a solution for customers, but also a recurring revenue stream for channel partners. It could be a reasonable add-on for NetApp channel partners looking for a cloud data protection offering to go along with their existing solutions. And as for EVault channel partners, it could complement EVault's other cloud offerings while also opening up new partnership opportunities between EVault and NetApp partners.

The new EVault Storage Cloud — Data Protection Service for NetApp is available now in North America, with EMEA availability coming soon.